Kotek, Dupuis Win Individual State Titles

CHICOPEE, Mass. -- Pittsfield High's Matt Dupuis and Lee's Bella Kotek Sunday completed a Berkshire County sweep at the State Bowling Championships at Bowlero.

 

Dupuis beat Auburn's Nate Mahoney, 163-144, to win the boys individual title.

 

Kotek, one day after leading Lee to the team State Championship, won the girls individual crown with a 202-201 win over Doherty's Jessica Swenson.

 

Including the Taconic Thunder's B Division title at Saturday's team championships, the Berkshire County Bowling League took home all four titles at the event.

 

Dupuis was the top qualifier coming out of the morning games in the boys individuals, rolling games of 220, 244 and 247 to qualify with 711 pins, 28 pins clear of the field.

 

McCann Tech's Michael Oakes was in second place after the first three games, and Taconic's Mitch McCann also was one of the eight qualifiers to move on to the semi-final games.

 

There, Dupuis rolled a 190, and Oakes recorded a 146 to move on to the event's match play phase.

 

Oakes, who was seeded third, lost to No. 4 Joe L'Esperance of Worcester Tech, 219-189. And Mahoney topped E'Sperance, 245-139, to reach the final against Dupuis.

 

In the girls competition, six Berkshire County bowlers moved to the semi-final round out of 21 competing on Sunday.

 

Swenson was the top bowler early with a three-game series of 642. Kotek qualified second with a 613.

 

Her Lee teammates, Emily Holian and Devyn Fillio, also advanced, as did McCann Tech's Eve Labarron and Mount Everett's Mercedes Kosik.

 

With games of 245 and 182, respectively, Kotek and Fillio advanced to match play, along with Swenson and Chicopee Comp's Hailey Stasiowski.

 

Stasiowski knocked out Fillio, 186-161, but fell to Swenson, 226-14, setting the stage for a nail-biting final between Kotek and Swenson.

 

Sunday marked the third straight year Berkshire County has had the two best high school bowlers in the commonwealth.

 

In 2022, the individual titles went to Taconic's Mya Duhamel and Andrew Robitaille, now a coach for the Thunder. Last winter, Duhamel, now bowling collegiately at Merrimack College, and McCann won state titles.